Google Glass faces driving bans as states move to bar use

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- Motorists in at least six states may be barred from using Google Glass, the eyewear device under test that can access the Internet and take photos with a blink.

Bills in West Virginia, Illinois and New Jersey would include Google Inc.'s glasses among hand-held mobile phones and other gadgets that are barred from use while driving.

A measure in New York would make it illegal for motorists to wear Google Glass until the motor vehicle department recommends how a ban could be enforced.

Google, owner of the world's largest search engine, has been investing in Glass as it bets consumers will shift to wireless devices that let them snap photos, check e-mail or listen to music without smartphones or traditional computers.

Hyundai Motor Co. will include an application to synch Glass with its 2015 Genesis sedan.

The bills may cramp Glass sales even as research shows it's less distracting than smartphones and may be used to help drivers avoid hazards.

"These ban bills could limit the marketability of Google Glass," said Richard Bennett, a visiting scholar at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute who co-invented Wi-Fi. "Driving is certainly one of the premier applications for Glass."

Lobbyists hired

Google has hired lobbyists in states including Wyoming and Delaware. As the company mounts a fight, application developers have already created programs for using Glass while driving that can monitor speed, give directions and detect fatigue -- all while drivers' eyes are looking at the road rather than at a phone or speedometer.

Most of the bills put Google Glass in the same category as texting while driving, which has been the centerpiece of a campaign by the U.S. Transportation Department to cut down on distractions in the car.

Hands-free calling and texting, which Google Glass can do, is typically allowed.

The device's ability to deliver videos and other potential distractions has some lawmakers worried it may be even more dangerous.

"You can be watching cat videos driving down the road and laughing at them," West Virginia Delegate Gary Howell, a Republican who introduced a bill, said by phone. "When you're rolling down the road in a ton-and-a-half of metal at 65 miles per hour, you can do some serious damage."

No distraction

Anna Richardson White, a spokeswoman for Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, said the company is entering the political debate as it works to convince policy makers that Glass isn't dangerous.

"Technology issues are a big part of the current policy discussion in individual states, and we think it's important to be a part of those discussions," she said by e-mail. "We find that when people try it for themselves, they better understand the underlying principle that it's not meant to distract but rather to connect people more with the world around them."

The bills that would ban using Google Glass while driving remain in the early stages of the legislative process.

Enforcing them may prove difficult.

Last month, a San Diego court threw out a ticket against Cecilia Abadie, a woman who may be the first cited for wearing the device while driving. The ticket was dropped because there wasn't proof she was using it while behind the wheel, according to the Associated Press.

Enforcement difficult

The enforcement issue led New York Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, a Democrat, to introduce a measure that would require the DMV to recommend how police can ensure driver compliance with a law banning use of the device. "We know how hard it is to enforce texting," Crespo said.

"Imagine how much harder it will be to enforce something as inconspicuous as Google Glass." Jackie McGinnis, a New York DMV spokeswoman, said the department hasn't determined whether Google Glass is a distraction.

Jibo He, a psychology professor at Wichita State University in Kansas, was among several thousand selected as early users for Glass.

He conducted a study using Google Glass and a driving simulator that found it's less distracting than a smartphone because drivers don't have to look down, he said by phone. He is creating applications that detect fatigue and automatically limit the programs that can be used while driving.

Hyundai has said the Genesis will only work with Glass for pre-drive operations.

"Whether Glass is safe or not depends on how you use it," He said. "If you use it to detect hazards or fatigue, then it's beneficial. It you use it for a phone or texting, it may be distracting."

A Wyoming bill banning use of Google Glass while driving is premature, said state Senator Leland Christensen, a Republican.

"This may be one of those places where we may not want to close the door," he said. "We don't know where this tool is headed and where they're going with it."

Hyundai will include an application to synch Google Glass with the 2015 Genesis sedan but says it will only work for pre-drive operations.